What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been

Happy Halloween!

The Island Flag and the Pirate Girl!



Tricks for us with another early wake up only to be delayed by a tow boat, "Hazel", beating us to Fulton Lock.  Once we heard "Hazel" tell the lock master that they were secure, we called the lock master to let him know we would like to lock down when "Hazel" was done.  It was a drizzly morning with a 100% chance of rain predicted for the day. 

On the Tennessee River we went with Bill and Rita's technique of trading jobs in the lock every other one.  One tends the lines, the other drives obviously, then switch for the next lock.  First day of locks on the Tenn-Tom Linda decided it would be trade every other day of locking instead.  So far that has put Linda out tending lines when it was raining, freezing cold, and raining again. 

We pulled up anchor about an hour later than intended at 8:00 a.m.  A half hour later we were in Fulton Lock for 15 minutes.  About half way to Wilkins Lock we had "Hazel" in sight so we asked their opinion on us falling back or pulling ahead of them.  They were kind enough to suggest we get ahead of them, so we bumped up the RPMs for about an hour to overtake them and get some time between us so we did not delay them at the lock.  The winds were increasing enough to make about one foot white caps near Smithville, Mississippi, where the lake is only marginally wide.  This made driving the boat into the locks not the best of jobs either.  We were in Wilkins Lock at 11:00 a.m. and out in 15 minutes again.  Amory Lock is only about seven miles downstream, so we were in and out of there a little over an hour later with this lock running slower and the rain falling harder.  The Amory Lock master also failed to inform us that the bollard we were heading for was not there, so that took a few extra minutes in the rain and wind to find the next one.

We thought we were having deja vu in the time warp of locking.  About half way to Aberdeen Lock there was another down bound tow ahead of us.  This time it was "Mr. David", whom we saw on the Tennessee River and heard him behind us yesterday.  It is amazing to realize they travel 24 hours a day, yet we can overtake them after we have been moored at least 12 hours or more.  So again, we got permission from "Mr. David" to overtake them.  It was another hour of revved up RPMs, but so worth it after our delay yesterday.  The rain subsided, but the winds picked up just at the right time for our last lock of the day.  We bounced down the lock wall a few times but finally got tied in on our third attempt.  The rain and wind continued to pick up more than ever upon our departure.

A few hours more of traveling through these conditions made for an extraordinary long day looking through a spotted glass.  Not much to be seen.  About ten hours after we lifted the anchor we dropped it once again, this time at the Dewayne Hayes Recreational Area near Columbus, Mississippi.  This is one of the more enjoyable anchorages on the Tenn-Tom, but our late arrival and weather conditions forced us to stay inside.  We lit the jack o' lantern and sat her by the back door to enjoy since we were sick of sitting in the soggy sky lounge all day.  We are planning on going to shore in the morning, just not sure how long we might stay and enjoy it.

Why Get Up Early?

Sunrise this morning from the dinghy as we took it out just to get cell service

"The Second Noelle" at anchor this morning

Whitten Lock 84' drop

"Trident" and "Blue Moon"

As Bob on “The Bar-B” just informed us recently, the most dangerous thing on a boat is a schedule.  Every time we get up early with a plan, something goes awry.  This time it was not fog, it was Whitten Lock.  A tow just came up through the lock so we thought it was perfect timing at 7:00 a.m.  “What’s Next”, one of those three boats in the next cove informed us that he talked to the lock master via telephone and was told that the lock was closed until about 10:00-11:00 a.m. because of a pin stuck in a door.  Not sure if that is a correct diagnosis, but we confirmed that it was closed via VHF radio.

"Blue Moon" in Whitten Lock

At 10:00 a.m. of course we (pleasure boaters) hailed the lock to find out the status.  Still working on it.  Probably a couple of more hours.  In the mean time another pleasure boat "Blue Moon" arrived, whom we saw heading up stream to Chattanooga as soon as we left.  He was informed of the delay.  We knew a tow boat was making its way up the lock system so we thought for sure when it called Whitten Lock it would be allowed to lock through while us pleasure boaters kept waiting.  We were pleasantly surprised however when it called the lock master stated the maintenance issue and that the pleasure boats would be locked down first.

Check out that swim platform

All of the sudden the lock doors were open at 1:30 p.m. and it was a mass exodus of anchoring pleasure boats headed for the lock.  All except for "Lady Jane" who we kept in contact with via VHF, informing them earlier that we would not lock down after 1:30 p.m. for time and destination constraints.  They ducked into Bay Springs Marina for some reason and missed their opportunity.  They sounded disappointed that we were gone and Ray is worried about them, so we hope to catch up with them again soon so Ray can take them under his wing.
The three locks for the day took only about 15 minutes each for the four of us pleasure boats that did lock down.  The other three of those boats stopped at Midway Marina for the night.  We continued on for a whopping 21 miles of travel today in the 12 hours from awakening to anchoring.  We are near Fulton, Mississippi in almost the same spot we anchored in on the way up in the spring.


As a side note:  while in one of the locks this afternoon, Ray realized that "Blue Moon" was from the port of Point Breeze, New York, one of the towns he grew up in.

Animal Food

After our late evening around the campfire, we didn’t get up very early.  About 8:30 a.m. we backed off the peninsula at the waterfall.  It was just a couple more miles of westerly travel before we turned south onto the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.  The fall colors are enjoyably different for us since we are later than usual, but left us wishing the sun was out more to make them more spectacular.  Most boaters seem to complain about the boring, fairly straight ditch which is the divide cut, but I enjoy being closer to the banks to see things.  Today’s sightings included a flock of turkeys and a skinny, sickly looking wolf.  The wolf made me wish I had kept the pumpkin innards to feed it, although I guess they are not vegetarians.

Just an example of the wondrous beauty of fall

We had a trawler named “Lady Jane” overtake us with a white “looper flag” asking our suggestion for today’s destination since they noticed our gold “looper flag”.  We told them of our normal anchorage in Bay Springs, leaving the Tenn-Tom locking to commence tomorrow.  They entered a cove downstream from our normal spot, which we mentioned we might try this time.  When we entered that cove we found three boats already anchored in there and no water shallow enough to join them comfortably.  So once again we backtracked to another cove to enjoy all to ourselves.

The view from tonight's anchorage

We did get the dinghy down to take the trash over to the Cotton Springs park.  Linda tried some fishing along the way for the first time on this trip, but without any luck on the short attempt.  Once back aboard “The Second Noelle” we decided to give her a lake water bath.

Bye Bye Cows

Once we departed our private little anchorage just after seven this morning we called Wilson Lock when it was in sight.  The lock master informed us it would be about 25 minutes for him to turn the chamber around and have it ready for us.  For some reason the 93 foot drop does not seem so ominous when you are locking down.  I guess because when you enter it full it looks the same as any other lock.  Entering it from the bottom to lock up however looks like you are entering a huge prison cell with no way to get out of there.  We got through just in time as once we were passing Florence, Alabama there was a tow going to lock up and we heard another planning to lock down after that.  Ray made a wonderfully big breakfast, leaving us no need for lunch before arriving at our favorite anchorage, the waterfall on Pickwick Lake. 

We forgot we carved our name in
"the fallen tree" a long time ago

A few miles before our destination we crossed into Mississippi leaving Alabama behind for a while.  Immediately after our 2:00 p.m. beaching of the boat we set out on the dinghy to collect firewood for the evening.  Once that was piled up on shore we took a break to have a little snack.  Then it was off in the dinghy again to collect water from the waterfall to fill the water tank on the boat.  Two trips of ten gallons each seemed like it would be enough to last until we make landfall at a marina sometime in the distant future.

The next order of business was for Linda to carve her pumpkin leaving the scraps on shore for the animals.  We tried roasting the seeds in the pie iron once the campfire was started, but neither of us were crazy about them so we left the seeds for the animals too.

Enough fire wood?

What is it about a fire that mesmerizes you?  We sat out there until quite late for us enjoying Reuben sandwiches in the pie iron and s’mores for dessert.  Spike also enjoyed nightfall as usual by jumping off the bow to explore.  We were tickled at him sitting high upon the fallen tree like he was king of the mountain enjoying a bird’s eye view.  We did not find a plank for him to walk back up this time though so Linda had to lift him back aboard when he was surprisingly ready even before we were.

More never hurts

Make Up Your Mind

Sorry to intrude on your water

The temperature was pleasantly warmer this morning.  We shoved off of the free dock in Decatur, Alabama at about 8:30 a.m., not in any hurry as we planned about a 36 mile day of travel.  Almost four and a half hours later we were in Wheeler Lock, leaving Lake Wheeler behind.  Wilson Lake was much calmer today than last year when we were coming down, so it was a much more enjoyable experience on it this time.  It was our original intention to anchor in Six Mile Creek which is an anchorage we found last year to get out of bad weather.  It was not the best of options as it is fairly narrow with lots of residential docks in it, but it held good in the weather.  Since it was still early and we would rather spend more time at the waterfall tomorrow, we decided to try anchoring in a cove just above Wilson Lock to get more miles behind us today.  We have anchored in this cove one time before when we had to wait several hours to lock down, but never overnight.  When we got in there it was too deep and narrow for comfort with residential docks scattered in this cove also.  There was a small dock at a park that caught our attention.  If the water was this deep, shouldn't it also be deep enough at the dock to bow into the bank and tie alongside it?  We eased up with Linda on the bow to watch for the shallow water that did appear before we reached the dock.  It was then decided to turn around and try the second cove back that looked good as we were passing it.  Just as we passed the first cove back, Ray liked the looks of it, though it was small and had some fallen trees in it.  We eased our way in to find deep water until we were close to the shore of the Y.  The setting was peaceful with cows to greet us.  It was a small cozy cove so we couldn't put much anchor rode out, but the most we could hit was some of the fallen trees before we hit shore.  It was so tight in there however, that wind could barely get us, and we hardly moved. 

What are you looking at?  Ever seen a cow before?  Ever seen a boat before?  Probably not in this tiny anchorage.

Decatur

Guntersville Lock?

Halloween decoration?

As usual, when we plan for early departure it is foggy.  Our seven a.m. intention turned into 8:20 in reality.  Even that was too early in someone's opinion, but we found Guntersville Lock through the drifting fog at a slow speed 15 minutes later.  The lock master informed us it would be 20 minutes for him to get it ready but it was barely over 10 minutes.  Thankfully in that time the fog pretty much lifted.  At first we thought there was a Halloween decoration hanging from a light pole at the lock, but come to find out it was a dead bird hanging there.  It looked like it must have gotten tangled in fishing line and met its fate.  That was just the beginning of the bird watching for the day.  We spotted a pair of bald eagles in a tree and two large flocks of white pelicans circling and flying very high.  There was no wagon train to be found this year like there was last year on the way down, but there were campers and rowers near Huntsville in this chilly weather. 


Painted Rock seemed extra spectacular with the morning sun shining against it

Pair of bald eagles

We had to wait at the Decatur railroad bridge for just a short time while a train went by, but by 3:00 p.m. we were pulling into Ingalls Harbor where we were not sure if we could stay or not.  The mate, Jeremy, on the Pickwick Belle paddle wheel tour boat here immediately came out, invited us to pull in, and helped us tie up to the dock.  He and Captain Mike told us it would not be a problem to stay, that it was very secure here, how to get to town, and offered their vehicle.  The restrooms were nice and extremely warm which would have been even better if there were showers in there.  There is a twice the ice machine here too so we filled up the cooler before heading off to find Mellow Mushroom on our bicycles.  We went over the railroad tracks on a cool pedestrian bridge and through some great neighborhoods with old beautifully restored homes.  Next time we should take the time to do a historical home tour as there were many signs in front of them.

Flocks of white pelicans

We still get confused with this Central Time Zone thing and were surprised when it was already half time for the Tennessee/Alabama game when we arrived at Mellow Mushroom.  It seems we can make friends anywhere so got to talking to John next to us at the bar all night.  He was a Tennessee alumni and there was another table of Tennessee fans so there was a little bit of cheering when Tennessee scored some points in the second half.  John offered to give us a ride back to the boat, but we had fun finding our way back on our bicycles.  We took a little shorter route getting back than we did getting there with different old homes and church buildings to fascinate us.  The trains must be almost constant around here as there was another train below us when we crossed the railroad bridge again.


Decatur railroad bridge

Sunny

The sun was a welcomed sight this morning as it warmed the helm station quite nicely.  We gave it plenty of time to radiate itself before we departed Jones Creek around 8:45 a.m.  There is always a first time for everything.  Upon pulling up anchor Ray discovered a rope about the size of a clothes line attached to it.  Linda was wondering why she could not turn the boat towards the channel.  Ray cut the line and we were on our way.  The cloudless sky made for extra beauty in the colorful leaves, and also awarded us the chance to turn off the generator much earlier than the last couple of days.  It even got warm enough to open one of the side windows of the enclosure with the north wind mostly behind us on Guntersville Lake today.
We only passed one up bound pleasure boat today, and the VHF radio was extremely quite.  We traversed through what is probably the most residentially populated area we encounter on the river system, but the Tennessee River is so wide here that seeing much requires the use of binoculars.  Just about the time we reached the amenities of Guntersville, we heard some comical chatter on the radio.  It gave us something to do in predicting their whereabouts and destination.  We finally saw four vessels coming under the Highway 79 bridge and heading towards Guntersville Marina.  Listening to other folks on the radio makes you wonder what people think of our senseless chatter at times.  Just after all of that excitement Linda was unable to capture a picture of the bald eagle flying over the trees near Guntersville, but as Ray said later in the day, "They never come out as good as it is in real life."
After another six hour travel day we pulled into a First Class Harbor just prior to Guntersville Lock.  We will be monitoring the radio for any activity in the morning and hope we can get through soon after sun up.  Tomorrow's plan is to try docking at the 1000 foot floating dock at the public access area boat ramp in Decatur, Alabama.  We have never attempted this, although we tried getting proper permission today from the city and the parks department.  From there we are hoping to get to the Mellow Mushroom via bicycles since we have never been to this one.  We got the bicycles prepared this afternoon by pumping up the tires in anticipation.

Jones Creek

It was too chilly to get out of bed in any rush this morning.  Ray cranked up the generator, turned on the heaters, got his coffee going, and made breakfast.  With all of that it was 9:00 o'clock Central Daylight Time before we were ready to move.  Just prior to that we heard that there was an up bound tow just below Nickajack Lock, so that put us less in a rush.  Once "Kennedy" was in Nickajack Lock though we heard the tow operator tell the lock master that he heard another commercial tow get underway headed downstream from Chattanooga.  With that information we went ahead and pulled up anchor shortly after nine.  By 9:45 a.m. we were in Nickajack Lock once "Kennedy" came out.
It was another uneventful day with lots of pleasure boat traffic going both directions.  I usually make note of what time we go into different states, but didn't even pay attention as to what time we traversed into Alabama this morning.  I stayed busy updating the blog and then drawing a floor plan while underway today.  In the mean time I did notice one golden eagle perched atop a dead tree.
Most of our day was spent on Guntersville Lake, just as is the plan for all day tomorrow.  It was cloudier than yesterday, so we left the generator running all morning just for heat.  The sun barely poked out for an hour or two this afternoon to keep us just warm enough.  We are hoping tomorrow is sunnier as predicted to possibly warm us up enough to do some fishing on this great bass lake.
Six hours after departure this morning we were anchored in Jones Creek.  We seem to hit a lot of the same spots on this trip, with mileage being the main factor.  It is more enjoyable for us not to do long days if we don't have to.  This particular anchorage is a bit narrow to get into, but widens tremendously once inside.  It is one of the best anchorages we stop at for a sunset view since it is much more wide open than most of our choices.

Once that sun was behind the mountain though, we ducked inside to crank the generator and heaters again.  We are not used to running our generator so much, and usually grill for dinner.  An obvious reason we don't usually leave this late in October.  However, tonight Pecan Encrusted Pork Chops and baked beans were prepared in the warmth of the galley.  Might as well use the power while we have it running anyway.

Loopers, etc.

We were a little sluggish after last night.  We didn't push off of Olgiati Dock until about 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.  An hour and a half later we crossed into the Central Time Zone.  It was a fairly uneventful day other than passing a lot of boaters going the opposite direction.  We knew some of them.  Some of them were friends that had gone down to Goose Pond for a long weekend, so we were expecting them.  Also saw "McTug", who was with us in Knoxville, but had gone down to Joe Wheeler for the AGLCA rendezvous.  I guess they like the Tennessee River a lot.  Yesterday we also heard another boater friend "Sea Moore" on the radio so we talked to them for a while.  Unfortunately they were a day ahead of us so we couldn't quite catch up with them.  We are always amazed at how small of a boating community it really is.  At 1:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time we were anchored at Little Cedar Mountain just as we always do both north and south bound.  We were thankful the sun showed itself a little more for the afternoon to help warm us up.  It is funny to be so close to civilization there, but cell service is minimal behind that mountain.  That made for a peaceful afternoon.

Chickamauga

We are three weeks later than normal, but it is that time of year again when we head south for the winter.  After doing last minute perishable grocery shopping and checking the mail one last time, we departed Gold Point Yacht Harbor at about 11:00 a.m.  We heard a pleasure boat lock up through Chickamauga Lock so we thought we were clear.  However, when we called the lock we were informed that there was commercial traffic with two more lockages up so it would be no more than a two hour delay.  With that we went over to Chickamauga Marina to pump out and get a bag of ice.  There we saw five deer.  After that we just mingled around in front of the dam and made chili dogs for lunch.

Never did get all five of them in the picture.

Our delay ended up only being an hour and a half, so we were in Chickamauga Lock at 12:30 p.m.  We heard "Mas Buenos" call to lock down just after we were down.  We hailed Hal on the radio to find out he would be docking downtown also.  By 1:45 p.m. we were tied to the Olgiati Dock in downtown Chattanooga.  We almost immediately walked into town to catch the free electric bus over to the north shore.  The ride over the bridge was about as much as we got though as the bus was going the opposite direction we needed to go.  We stopped at Heaven & Ale for our first visit ever since we were early for checking out Doug's house/office.  By the time we got to Doug's, April called to let us know she was right there so we all went back to Heaven & Ale for a couple before heading over to Mellow Mushroom for our traditional departure party.  It was a great time with lots of wonderful friends.  The boating community is the best!

Long Day

Not in any hurry, we departed Island Cove Marina courtesy dock at 9:15 a.m.  An hour later we were at Gold Point Marina pump out dock taking care of our weeks worth of business.

Margaritas!

At about 6:00 a.m., just about the time the alarm sounded, the wind seemed to pick up again.  I heard it in the trees again, but we were barely moving.  I could tell because the stars were barely moving.  Perfect!  It was a sunny, cloudless morning, so we were off by 7:20 a.m.  Leaving the cove was almost treacherous as a bass boat was hauling down the river just as we came out.  Good thing we were still easing out.  Then of course as we were coming through the skinny Iron Gate cut-off, another bass boat was right there hauling through.  I was not about to budge for my size, but he seemed to have the same idea.  I guess he was finally the chicken as he slowed down and maneuvered around us.  We timed it perfectly again for "Makin Memories" to fall in behind us from Sunset Cove and arrive at Watts Bar Lock two hours after our departure.  The wind was blowing the right direction for their starboard down bound bollards only thankfully.
A continued uneventful day listening to the bear hunters some more.  We got good time going down river and arrived at Island Cove Marina to pull in behind "Makin Memories" nine hours after our departure.  It was a fun night with lots of different friends and family coming and going.

For Kevennie

With a cloudy Monday morning, we had to wait until about 7:45 for enough light to comfortably leave Poland Creek.  The threatening weather turned into a short blow just before midnight, and just a little bit of rain last night.  So after drying off everything enough to travel by, we were on our way.  We timed it perfectly, by accident, arriving at Fort Louden Lock just before 10:00 a.m. when they opened.  "Makin Memories" was already in front of the lock to claim their position, along with "McTug".  We seemed to have the lock master confused since the other four boats pulled out of Fort Louden Marina, including "Playin Hooky" and "Off the Radar", but we did get permission to raft to "Makin Memories" while the rest of them rafted together on another bollard.  By 11:00 the lock doors were open and we were free to leave.  We took up the caboose even after talking to "McTug" on the VHF radio.  We talked to them the weekend before last at Whine on the Dock as they are Loopers and they noticed our gold flag, so I thought maybe we could hook up at anchor this evening and give them some pointers, especially on the Tenn-Tom since we are so well versed on that water by now.  They seemed to be in a hurry at seven miles per hour though since they informed us they were going as far as possible tonight with Joe Wheeler State Park on their itinerary for Saturday night.  Obviously trying to make the rendezvous, but part of doing the loop is not being in a hurry though, isn't it?  Good for them though that they took this side trip all the way to Knoxville!  If anyone knows them, I have lots of pictures of them thinking we would hook up tonight.
No one left in sight, we just meandered down the Tennessee River listening to the bear hunters from Tellico on VHF channel 68.  I feel like I learned some of the lingo and will be ready to hunt with Doyle next winter.
Just after 1:00 p.m. we were traversing under I-75. Just before the Highway 30 bridge in Kingston is where you will find the ultimate Tennessee fan on the water.

Took these pictures for Kevennie

It was thankfully an uneventful day of travel.  We entered Martins Branch for our intended anchorage for the night, but could not find a comfortable depth with swinging room in the NNW winds that picked up.  We tried the next slough, which was a first class harbor, usually a good indication, but it was too deep for comfortable swinging room also.  Hoping third time is a charm, we tried the next slough.  Sharon said it was their favorite, so that was encouraging.  It facing directly north was encouraging.  We slid in there for quite a ways but found 16 feet of depth which seemed like the best we were going to get and you would never know the wind was blowing except for the sound in the trees.  It all seemed perfect except for the rock banks on the way in, sometimes indicating a rock bottom, but the anchor stuck immediately.  We were snuggled in after 10 hours and 66 miles of travel.  There seemed to be just enough sunlight left in this small cove to shave legs by lake water in a bucket.  Spike had better ideas for that lake water though, as he drank it like he was thirsting to death after spending all day under the couch as he normally does while underway.

After the Party

Our neighbors seemed to have had a good time until about 3:30 a.m.  Therefore they were not so happy when rafters were wanting to depart starting at about 8:00 a.m.  Our row diminished throughout the morning.  The first to effect us was "Flynn Stones", but they were not able to leave as early as they wanted.  The morning fog kept them tied until about 9:30 a.m.  We had to make an extra long bow line to go around their stern as they pulled out forward.  Stuart from "Making Memories" and Byron from "Marilyn Ann" pulled us over to "Marilyn Ann" to close up the gap.  Byron got the short end of the rope so to speak as it was not real easy pulling our three remaining boats while our anchor was tightening.  Not too much later "Making Memories" and "Marilyn Ann" decided they were going to pull out.  Since the rest of us three were not ready and our anchors were tight, we just decided to anchor out in the river for a while.  Once the other two boats pulled away from us, the wind changed direction to fight the flow of the river, we were sitting sideways on the river with the potential to swing into the bridge.  Just about that time Bill and Rita Livezey showed up to pick up Ray.  We decided the best way to get Ray to shore was to pull up to Volunteer Marina.  With the ice machine staring at us, we decided to get a couple bags too.  So not really as planned, we were underway just before 11:00 a.m.  Most boats were courteous as they passed us, with the exception of one, but the VHF radio was almost a comedy of boaters talking to the wrong boats.  Linda and Joyce meandered downstream at a leisurely pace with the south winds pushing us at times and fighting us at times.  Four and a half hours of travel to go 28 miles and we were once again anchored in Poland Creek.  We enjoyed this anchorage on the way up, knew the holding was good, and knew we could get some ice.  We wanted good protection and holding as a cold front is supposed to come through tonight with some possible wind and thunderstorms.  The cold air coming behind it made us decide we probably did not need any more ice as it doesn't sound like it will melt too much in the coming days.

Happy Birthday to me!

The rows of boats rafted behind us as we are the farthest line upstream.  Stadium in the background.

I don't usually blog on days that we don't travel on the boat, but since this is what we came for, I thought I would share.

The Watsons and Kevennie showed up in the morning for some boater tailgating.  We walked up to Calhoun's for lunch.  With an hour and a half wait for a table for 12, Linda and Joyce walked up to the Farmer's Market downtown.  Got back with our vegetables just in time to get seated.

The Watsons had a couple extra game tickets so we decided to go and watch the game in person.  What a great game it was!  We baked ourselves in the sun until half time when the shade thankfully reached us to give us some relief for the second half.  Good thing because the way the game was going we were sweating enough.

Let's get this party started!

After the game we enjoyed some chili and birthday cake thanks to "Making Memories".  We called it an early night after staying up dancing until 2:00 a.m. last night.  Those on the boat next to us might have been getting us back though.  It wasn't much of a peaceful night's sleep until about 3:30 a.m., but that's what everyone came for, right?!

Vol Navy

Of course at planned departure time the fog was so thick we could not see a thing.  Didn't even know which way was out of Poland Creek.  So much for staying ahead of our friends so that we could meet up in Knoxville at the same time to raft together.  We all left about the same time, just after 9:00 a.m., but "Making Memories" and "Marilyn Ann" were doing about 20 miles per hour.  Not real sure how they were as the fog was still pretty thick for about a half hour, but it did not take long for them to pass us.  Just before we reached Knoxville "Flynn Stones" passed us also, so they rafted to "Marilyn Ann" who was rafted to "Making Memories" who was rafted to a couple of house boats as far up as they could get on Calhoun's dock.  After four hours of travel we rafted to "Flynn Stones".  Marine Max hosted a wonderful party at Calhoun's in the evening.

Approaching Knoxville

Get ready for game day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This is how boaters tailgate!

Poland

Our crew of three lifted anchor just after seven o'clock this morning.  Thankfully there was no fog.  We ended up about the same distance ahead of "Making Memories" and "Marilyn Ann" again today.  At 11:00 a.m. we were traveling under I-75.  "Making Memories" and "Marilyn Ann" passed us just before Fort Louden Lock, so we were the third boat in the lock for a 72 foot lift.  Those guys pulled off into Fort Louden Marina just after departure from the lock around 3:00 p.m.  We continued on up river about 20 more miles and anchored in Poland Creek near the campground of the same name a couple hours later.  Ray almost immediately got the dinghy down to take the trash to shore and see if we could possibly buy ice at the campground.  Sure enough, despite being a small campground, the camp host office had an ice machine there so we bought four bags.  Back at the boat, Linda decided to carve the two pumpkins to get ready for the game.  The girls made another trip to shore to dispose of more trash, mainly the pumpkin innards.

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

Linda & her mom, Joyce, pulled anchor out of the Hiwassee River at 7:40 a.m.  By 8:05 a.m. we were on the Tennessee River.  It was a foggy morning until about 10:00 a.m., but we had at least a half mile to mile visibility.  "Making Memories" and "Marilyn Ann" were about 11 miles back as they stopped at Shady Grove last night.  Ray's work crew decided to go hunting the rest of the week, so he got up at 3:30 a.m. to drive to The Livezey's so Bill could drop him off at Shady Grove Marina.  We decided Ray could ride with "Making Memories" to our planned anchorage, where we would raft together and Ray could get on board "The Second Noelle".  Our timing was perfect for meeting up at Watts Bar Lock, so Linda got permission from the lockmaster to raft to "Making Memories" in the lock so Ray could get on board "The Second Noelle" just in time for lunch.  We lifted 59 feet in the lock along with "Marilyn Ann" and "Shored Up III" also.  By 1:30 p.m. the lock doors were open and we took up the tail.  By the time we got to Iron Hill Secondary Channel Cut-off, Marine Max was right behind us.  They got delayed at Chickamauga Lock this morning, but still made it through Chickamauga Lake pool in two hours.  They let us get though the cut before they took off again.  Since our timing worked out so well today, we decided to anchor a little farther up river than "Making Memories" and "Marilyn Ann", and not raft with them as we originally planned.  So we dropped anchor just before 5:00 p.m. in a first class harbor at Tennessee River mile 561.3.  It was a peaceful evening despite the neighbor cutting his lawn and finishing his yard work until just past dark.

Boat Divided

For the first time, "The Second Noelle" is taking a trip to Knoxville for the Georgia/Tennessee football game.  The boat has only been to Knoxville one time before.  At this time of year "The Second Noelle" is usually departing to head south for the winter.

Someone has to work around here, so Ray is in Murphy, North Carolina while Linda and her mom pulled out of slip CRO5 at Gold Point Marina at 7:45 a.m.  First order of business for the crew was to pump out.  A half hour later we were underway making way.  It was a cool, cloudy morning which really did not warm up until we were near our destination for the night.  Nothing eventful on the 31 mile trip.  We tried pulling off to anchor in a couple places on the Hiwassee River, but finally opted for mile 2.7 where we anchored with friends for the Labor Day weekend.  By 1:30 p.m. the anchor was set and the sun was quite warm.  We spent the afternoon rag tatting and watching the few other folks out on the water.

Boat divided.  Trying to keep peace with the lock masters while still showing our true colors.

These are temporary until we make it through the locks, then they will be carved with G's!